Leaves petiolate, bronze-tinged, drying bluish-green; lamina (4·3) 5·5–10 (12) × 1·6–3·4 (3·8) cm., obovate to oblanceolate, obtuse to rounded (rarely very shortly and acutely acuminate) at the apex, with margin densely shallowly serrulate, rounded or truncate at the base, herbaceous, with lateral nerves numerous and widely spreading (usually at almost 90° to the midrib) and densely reticulate tertiary venation prominent above (with main laterals more prominent than subsidiaries) and almost smooth below; petiole 1–2 mm. long, rather stout.
Shrublet or small tree, 0·3–6 (8) m. high, with bark pale grey, rough and vertically fissured; branches smooth (rarely striate), reddish-to purplish-brown and sometimes papillose-puberulous at first, glabrous and whitish, with bark sometimes exfoliating in thin strips, usually with numerous rather faint lenticels.
Flowers (5) 6–10 (14) in a ± elongated simple raceme with rhachis 3–25 mm. long, rarely subumbellate, primrose-scented; pedicels (1) 1·8–2·8 (3·3) cm. long in fruit, papillose-puberulous or glabrous, articulated usually in the lower 1/3 or 1/4 (at least 1 mm. above the base).
Sepals 5–6 mm. long in flower, oblong-elliptic, rounded, bronze-tinged, becoming pinkish-red to deep red, 10–12 (15) mm. and spreading in fruit.
Stamens with anthers 1–2 mm. long, about 1/2 as long as the filaments, straight, dehiscing by longitudinal slits.
Drupelets (7) 8·5–10 × 5–6 mm., curved-cylindric to ovoid, inserted near the base; embryo straight.
Petals pale yellow, 9–13 × 5–8 mm., with obovate to subcircular limb c. twice as long as the claw.
Carpels 5 (6–7) with styles completely united; stigma subglobose.